1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for generating ozone, oxygen, hydrogen, and/or other products of water electrolysis, having an electrolyte cell that can be acted upon by water, the water being delivered and carried away in a supply line communicating with the electrolyte cell.
According to this invention, the term xe2x80x9cwaterxe2x80x9d that is delivered to the electrolyte cell is understood to be fully desalinated water, pure water or superpure water, of the quality used for instance in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, the electronics and semiconductor industry, and medical technology.
2. Description of Related Art
Apparatuses of the type mentioned above, in which preferably ozone and/or oxygen are generated by an electrolyte cell in water, are known in many forms as taught by German Patent Disclosure DE 196 06 606 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,865. Such apparatuses are used to inoculate the supplied water with ozone, in order to make the water usable for applications in medical technology, such as hemodialysis, and so forth. Flow rates of 1 to 3 m3/h of water, for instance, are inoculated with the ozone generated in the electrolyte cell in a manner known.
In the operation of such electrolyte cells, however, regular maintenance is necessary, which in the prior art apparatuses requires a complicated detachment of the electrolyte cell from the supply line for the water, so that the further flow of water through the supply line is also disrupted for the duration of the maintenance work.
One object of this invention is to refine an apparatus of the known type such that maintenance of the electrolyte cell can be performed without major assembly work, and in which the flow of water through the supply line can be maintained unhindered.
For attaining this object, according to this invention a bypass line is embodied around the supply line, and the electrolyte cell can be connected via the bypass line to the supply line and subjected to water from the supply line. There is a valve engaging the supply line and the bypass line, and with the valve, the supply line and the bypass line can be opened and/or closed.
According to this invention, the electrolyte cell is thus supplied with water which is diverted from the supply line via the bypass line and which, after the generation of ozone and/or oxygen in the water, is returned again to the main stream in the supply line, so that the desired inoculation (enrichment) of the water with the applicable quantity of ozone is possible. If maintenance or an interruption in operation of the electrolyte cell becomes necessary, all that is required is that the bypass line be interrupted; an unhindered further flow of water through the supply line can be maintained.
In one embodiment of this invention, the valve is embodied as a conical stopcock with a housing and a stopcock plug that is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. The stopcock plug penetrates the supply line and the bypass line and, as a function of the rotary position of the stopcock plug, has various switching positions for opening or closing the supply line and/or the bypass line.
Valves embodied as a conical stopcock are known. According to this invention, only a single valve, which is structurally inexpensive and requires little space, is used. By simultaneous action of the stopcock plug on the supply line and the bypass line, by actuation of the single valve, various switching positions that are advantageous for the apparatus of this invention are attained.
In one embodiment of this invention, the housing has a through conduit for the supply line and bypass conduits for the bypass line and also has a recess, penetrating the supply line and the bypass line, which recess receives the stopcock plug. The stopcock plug has a through bore and conduits spaced apart from the through bore, and the through bore and the conduits extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the stopcock plug. As a function of the rotary position of the stopcock plug, the through bore of the stopcock plug can communicate with the through conduit of the housing, and the conduits of the stopcock plug can be made to communicate with the bypass conduits of the housing.
According to this invention, a first switching position is possible, in which the supply line and the bypass line are opened. This corresponds to an operative position in which the electrolyte cell is supplied with water via the bypass line, and through the processes proceeding there, ozone and/or oxygen is generated, which is introduced into the main stream of water carried via the supply line. In the second switching position, according to this invention, of the valve, both the supply line and the bypass line are closed, which can be utilized for instance to block off the supply line. In a third switching position, according to this invention, of the valve, only the supply line is opened, while the bypass line is closed, making assembly and maintenance of the electrolyte cell possible without a need to interrupt the unhindered flow of water through the supply line.
The valve can be actuated in manifold ways; manual actuation with a handle is advantageous. Automated actuation of the valve can equally be provided, by suitable rotary drive mechanisms. In one embodiment of this invention, the stopcock plug protrudes at its upper end beyond the housing and has a handle for manual actuation.
If the valve is actuated manually, the handle can be locked in the various switching positions of the valve by a suitable detent mechanism, so that the switching positions can always be precisely found. For instance, the individual switching positions of the valve can be locked for each time by means of a 90xc2x0 rotation of the stopcock plug about its longitudinal axis and of the handle of the valve acting on the stopcock plug. The 90xc2x0 increments can be adhered to exactly because of the detent means, as later described in further detail.
Means for detecting the switching position of the valve which are capable of sending the switching position on to a control unit of the electrolyte cell can also be provided.
In an embodiment of this invention, the stopcock plug, on its lower end opposite the end equipped with the handle, has a connection flange for securing the electrolyte cell.
In a preferred embodiment of the valve, the stopcock plug, on its lower end, has an open recess, which serves as a reservoir chamber for the water, and the conduits of the stopcock plug discharge into the reservoir chamber. The reservoir chamber forms a portion of the bypass line inside the stopcock plug.
Thus the electrolyte cell is secured simply to the stopcock plug of the valve, and the reservoir chamber that is open toward the connection flange is supplied with water from the bypass line, and the reservoir chamber of the stopcock plug communicates with the electrolyte cell. The reservoir chamber thus serves to deliver the water to the electrolyte cell, in order to bring about the desired generation of ozone and/or oxygen in it. Because of the reservoir chamber, an adequate quantity of water can be kept in reserve for the electrolyte cell. The reservoir chamber preferably forms a portion of the bypass line, and the water carried through the bypass line flows through it.
Thus according to this invention, the bypass line is embodied inside the housing with a first bypass conduit, which branches off from the through conduit in the region of the inflowing water and extends as far as the recess that receives the stopcock plug. With a second bypass conduit, which branches off from the through conduit in the region of the outflowing water and which also extends as far as the recess that receives the stopcock plug, and the stopcock plug, beginning at its circumference, has the conduit for the inflow of the water into the reservoir chamber and with the conduit for the outflow of the water from the reservoir chamber as far as the circumference of the stopcock plug. Depending on the switching position of the valve in accordance with the rotary position of the stopcock plug about its longitudinal axis, the bypass conduits of the housing communicate with the conduits of the stopcock plug, thus forming the bypass line.
In a preferred embodiment, the conduit carrying outflow of water from the reservoir chamber leads away from the uppermost point of the reservoir chamber, and the conduit for the inflow of water into the reservoir chamber enters the reservoir chamber in the middle region thereof.
The bypass line is preferably, like the supply line, embodied inside the housing of the valve. The bypass line includes one portion for the inflow of water in the direction of the electrolyte cell and one portion for the outflow of the water, enriched with ozone and/or oxygen, from the electrolyte cell. These portions each communicate with different circumferential regions of the stopcock plug, depending on the position of the stopcock plug. The stopcock plug accordingly has one conduit for the inflow of water to the electrolyte cell and for communication with one portion of the bypass line in the housing, and a further conduit for the outflow of the water from the electrolyte cell and for communication with the further bypass conduit in the housing, and also has a reservoir chamber which connects the two conduits of the stopcock plug and is embodied in the stopcock plug. The reservoir chamber of the stopcock plug communicates directly with the electrolyte cell, and the water from the reservoir chamber acts directly upon the anode of the electrolyte cell.
The electrolyte cell can have a structure known, for instance as described in German Patent Reference DE 196 06 606 A1. According to this invention, a multi-part structure is preferred, with a solid-state electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode, and the anode is in contact with the water introduced into the reservoir chamber of the stopcock plug.
In another embodiment of the apparatus of this invention, leading away from the bypass line, which returns from the electrolyte cell to the supply line for the outflowing water, is a branch line which extends out of the housing. With this branch line, water enriched with ozone and/or oxygen can be diverted.